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Before he left office, President Barack Obama designated Bears Ears in Utah a National Monument to protect 1.3 million acres that contain many sites significant to several tribes. Now, President Trump is calling for a review of that decision and dozens of other monument designations since 1996. That could open the door for more oil drilling, mining and other development in those places. Interior Department Sec. Ryan Zinke made his first visit to Bears Ears as a decision on the monument status looms. Is there a precedent for stripping a National Monument designation? What would that mean for the coalition of tribes that worked to ensure the area’s protection?
Guests:
Natalie Landreth (Chickasaw Nation) – senior staff attorney at the Native American Rights Fund
Ethel Branch (Navajo) – Attorney General of the Navajo Nation
Break music: Buc Wild – Teen Boy’s Southern Straight (song) Gathering Of Nations Powwow (artist) A Spirit’s Dance (album)
Full interview with Ryan Benally (Navajo) – vice president of Stewards of San Juan County